


First and Last and Everything Changes

by JessieBlackwood



Category: Torchwood
Genre: All characters are alive, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, mpreg for later chapters, warning for swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-21
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2017-11-10 10:45:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/465394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessieBlackwood/pseuds/JessieBlackwood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another AU from me. This time, Jack Harkness is an Omega in the world before Alphas and Omegas evolve. It's the 21st Century when everything changes and Ianto Jones turns out to be more than he first appears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Paradoxically

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Krekta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krekta/gifts).



> It seemed like a logical explanation for a lot of things. So I decided to explore the plot. We'll see where it goes, if it goes anywhere.

_The paradox of Torchwood is the predictability of its unpredictability,_ Ianto thought as the cog door rolled back before him. While he always knew what he would see when the door rolled back, he never knew what the day would bring. When that door revealed the Hub in its predictable awesomeness that he never completely got used to, the lofty ceiling harbouring the usual dark shadows, the habitual blue glow from the computer monitors competing with the whiff of slightly peaty air from the greenhouse and the hint of coffee from the kitchen area, Ianto was on familiar ground. A recognisable screech reached his ears and Myfanwy —Torchwood mascot and resident dinosaur—soared overhead as he stepped inside, casting her giant shadow over him as she dipped and dived. She would be most likely hunting chocolate—preferably dark—from her favourite member of the team. Ianto grinned, fished in a pocket and brought out a small bar of Bournville, her favourite, and opened it, keeping half his attention on where she was while he did so. He tossed it into the air as she swooped low, and laughed as she deftly caught it with a snap and retreated to her lair, triumphant.

Ianto marched over to the kitchen to prepare the coffee, checking his watch as he went. He was first in as per usual, slightly early this morning. Coffee would be ready by the time the first of them showed; usually Tosh, followed by Gwen and then Owen bringing up the rear, probably slightly the worse for wear after another night on the town. _Oh yeah, the predictability of Torchwood._

There was, as yet, no sign of Jack. That was when Ianto realised that something was slightly off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was making him feel uneasy. There was _something._... He shook his head to clear it and then it came to him. The smell. It was Jack’s unique pheromones that were filling his nose. The more he concentrated on it, the more the scent overpowered the other smells that were ever-present, like coffee and antiseptic and damp. Ianto stopped what he was doing and stood there, trying to work out what was wrong. Abandoning the coffee machine he made his way to Jack’s office. The man just about lived at the Hub, usually in his bunker beneath the floor. The bunker was closed this morning, the office abandoned.

“Jack?” Ianto called. There was no answer. Frowning, Ianto called again, checking to see if there was a message on the desk or anything to say where Jack had gone. If he had gone. It didn’t feel as if he had. _Odd,_ Ianto thought. _How can I simply know he’s here by the fact it doesn’t feel like he’s not?_ He called once more, and then walked to the door, aiming to go back to get the coffee before the team arrived. A noise from behind him made him pause. The bunker hatch had opened. “Jack?” Ianto walked back to the room, unaware he had also drawn his gun. He reached the bunker and peered in. Jack was lying on the bed, shirtless. Ianto was almost overwhelmed. The smell...

“Ianto?” The voice was so quiet he almost missed it.

“Jack? What’s the matter? Do I need to call Owen?”

“No," came the quiet reply. "He knows. There’s nothing more he can do that he isn’t doing already...”

“Jack, are you sick? You’re scaring me. What’s the matter?”

“Ianto, you and I need to talk.”

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Sitting across from each other with Jack’s big desk between them, Ianto felt like a schoolboy called to the Headmaster’s office. He felt sure there was something majorly wrong and he was about to be told something he didn’t want to hear. But Jack simply sat there, giving off such a strong scent that it nearly made Ianto drool. It was having an unwelcome effect on him. Beneath his outward veneer of calm, beneath his suit, he was hard, the first stirrings of desire pooling in his belly making him feel slightly dizzy and off balance.

“So...” Ianto tried to break the oppressive silence. “What’s the matter?”

“Ianto, you know I’m different to other men...”

“I know you’re immortal, I’d say that qualifies, wouldn’t you?”

“Apart from that, I’m not human in the same sense you are.”

“You’re from the future. I’d say that makes you just about as different as you can get. I’m from Newport, me. Nothing special.” Jack laughed.

“Oh, Ianto, you’re more special than you know. I need to explain something to you and then I need you to make a decision and I haven’t got a lot of time. So please, listen to me?” Ianto nodded.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Jack leaned back and took a deep breath. “Where I come from, humans have evolved. We began to grow infertile so we began to change physically. We evolved into three distinct groups. We called them Alphas, Betas and Omegas.”

“Why not Gammas?” Ianto asked and at Jack’s puzzled look, he added “Well, alpha, beta and gamma are A, B and C in Greek. Why Omega? That’s the last letter of the Greek alphabet.” Again, Jack chuckled.

“Irony I guess. Where I come from Alphas are the top dogs, the most intelligent, the most highly developed. Their IQ is off the scale, they were the top 10% of the population, the clever ones. The Betas were just below them, the ordinary ones, the ones who make up the majority. Their intelligence was average. Then came the Omegas. They were the last in line, hence the name, and they were controlled by Alphas and supervised to prevent indiscriminate breeding. Omegas are unable to resist their heats, you see. When in the throes of one, an Omega has a compulsion to breed with anyone, not just an Alpha. Anyone who will fuck them. It’s an hormonal response, not a rational one.”

“Soooo, when an Omega is in heat, then... pretty much anyone can...”

“Yeah, pretty much. Not all of them are dumb though, and they’re certainly not animals. Some are quite high IQ, but not as high as most Alphas. Their status as people was certainly no more than second class citizens though, almost nil in some communities. They work as servants, cleaners, skivvies for Alpha families. They’re the breeders, the men as well as the women. In my time, Betas who wanted kids had to apply for permission and could only have kids with an Omega surrogate, usually someone who was bonded to an Alpha. Betas are fertile, but infrequently. Omegas are very fertile, but their cycles are based on heats...”

“Like animals?”

“Well, every 90 days or so.”

“And that’s when an Alpha can have them?”

“Well, they’re human beings. They can have sex any time, but only during a heat can they conceive. That’s when Alphas want them, so they can breed them, produce heirs for their overblown estates so the money and the family name are preserved.”

“But there are no Alphas here... Why, are you one?”

“No, Ianto, I’m not an Alpha. I’m...” Jack went quiet and suddenly, Ianto understood.

“Oh, you mean... ah, right. You’re an Omega. Well, that makes a lot of sense actually. I mean, when you said you could taste contraceptives in the rain that time, and you quipped about never doing that again, I never thought you actually meant you could... you know, have kids. I thought you were joking.”

“I wish it were true, Ianto, but it’s not. I’m an Omega, I can have kids.”

“So, does that mean that you...experience these heats then?” Jack nodded. “But why are you telling me?”

“I know you can smell me, Ianto.”

“Can’t everybody? Your bloody 51st century pheromones are strong enough they should be able to smell them in Swansea.” Jack was shaking his head.

“Sorry, Ianto, but not everybody can smell it. That night, when we caught Myfanwy, you wondered what aftershave I was wearing. When I said I wasn’t wearing any, when I explained it away as 51st Century pheromones, I was lying a little. I was days away from my heat, Ianto, I was putting out when we met that night. And you could smell it. I’m afraid that was part of what got you the job.”

“It was?”

“Yeah, it was. It's also the reason I resisted shooting you after what you did with Lisa. It's the reason I kept you on here. Ianto, there’s a reason why you can scent me like that, a reason for the interest you take in me, for the attraction between us. When I arrived on Earth in 1869, I realised there were no Alphas. The Alpha Gene was in its infancy, and so I was safe. I still had to suffer my heats, but it was bearable, because there were no alphas to worry about, no alphas to insist I bond with them and breed. When I was back home, on Boshane, the Alphas ruled our community. Omegas were third class citizens and forced to breed with Alphas. It wasn’t a good life, Ianto, believe me. Omegas were open to abuse and neglect. For a long time I was protected by my family. My father and mother were prominent betas, and they made sure I was cared for and protected while telling me what I was and what would happen to me. So I knew, I wasn’t worried. Trouble was, when the attack came that took my brother away from me, I was no longer safe from my own people, never mind the aliens who sought to kidnap and sell us into slavery. I was vulnerable in a way I’d never been before. That was when I took a chance and joined the Time Agency. They had an amnesty for anyone who wanted to volunteer, they would even take Omegas. So I joined up. They gave me suppressant drugs and I was fine for a while.” Jack stopped, took a breath and tried to steady himself. “Sorry, Ianto, I’ve not got a hell of a lot of time...”

“You’re going to have a heat? How long will it last?”

“About three days as a rule. Owen synthesizes a drug to help me suppress it but of late, it isn’t working as well. I think it's my close proximity to you that is part of that. He just hasn't got the technology or the chemicals to do a perfect job." Jack shrugged. "So I spend the time in my bunker, down there, locked in. It’s soundproofed, comfortable, I come out at night when everyone’s gone so I can shower and change.”

“That’s why you disappear every quarter. You’re not in London for a UNIT meeting, you’re here? Down there? Alone?” Jack nodded. Ianto scowled at the injustice of it.

“It’s for the best, Ianto. I’m not completely sane when it happens.”

“You’re not Jekyll and Hyde,” Ianto muttered. “You’re Jack, our friend, and you shouldn’t be alone.” Jack smiled.

“Thank you, Ianto,” he whispered. He exhaled a deep sigh. “That night you scented me, I knew. You’re different too, Ianto. You’re higher than everage IQ, you can smell my scent, you’re attracted to me...”

“Everybody’s attracted to you. What makes me so special?”

“But you can _taste_ it, Ianto, you can _feel_ it, it’s making you hard right now. You’re responding to me being in heat. You scented me that night. I’m sorry, Ianto, but Owen did a test for me on your blood. He isolated the Alpha Gene, or it’s predecessor. You’re an Alpha, the nearest thing this century has to one anyway. It’s the 21st century and everything changes. Haven’t I always been saying that? This is when it starts. People begin to show the Alpha/Omega genes in their DNA around about now, growing in number until the end of the 21st Century shows a marked increase in those of above average intelligence. Alphas are on the rise and you’re one of them...”

“And the decision you want me to make?”

“You have to decide if you want to be a father, Ianto. If you want to bond with me and breed me and be my Alpha... Because if you don’t, I don’t think you can continue working here anymore. I'm not going to be able to stand being around an Alpha who doesn't want me.”


	2. The Only Alpha in the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ianto has a decision to make, Owen pays a visit and Jack suffers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one because I am on holiday for two weeks, during which time I hope to get However Improbable finished as well.

“Where would I go, Jack?” Ianto was panicked. “This isn’t fair. You’re asking me to accept that I’m a..what did you call it? An Alpha? Makes me sound like a wolf. And what the fuck are you talking about with this stuff about being a father? Do I want to have kids with you?” Ianto was nonplussed. “What the fuck am I supposed to say to this? And you, just look at you, you’re like a cat, fawning all over me...” He tried to stand away, and a look of hurt crossed Jack’s face. “I can’t do this.... What’s more, it isn’t fair of you to face me with this and expect me to be okay about it! I’m not an automaton, Jack. I have feelings.”

“So do I. I’ve suppressed those feelings for more than a century. Come back when you’re 130 and tell me you find it hard...”

“Not fair, Jack,” Ianto snapped, calling him out again. “You insist on not being fair. You’ve had 130 years to get used to this, I haven’t.” Ianto pulled away, looking panicked. “I tell you what, Jack. I’ll come back in a few days, when you’re over this thing. Then we can talk, rationally and sensibly. I’ll have had a few days to think this through and you... you’ll be less emotional and...I dunno, whatever it is you’re experiencing with this. Okay? Okay. This is me, going home....” He sketched a wave and dashed out, followed by Tosh and Gwen’s curious stares and the cog door rolling shut on his departure. Stunned into inaction by Ianto’s outburst, Jack just sat there, trying to process what had happened.

“Well done, Jack. That went well.”

“Shut up, Owen.”

“Fine, fine. Just remember who makes sure you can suppress those heats of yours enough to make them bearable. Now, accept that you royally fucked up there with the Tea Boy and get yourself into your bunker. As of tomorrow, you are officially in London for that top secret summit meeting...”

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

The knock on Ianto’s front door later that evening was a surprise. Nobody visited him, except his neighbour, Mrs Pollitti, and the old partially-deaf Polish lady wasn’t wont to visit him at nearly midnight. “Open up, Tea Boy, I know you’re not asleep yet and this cat is eyeing me suspiciously...” The door opened and a rather wild-eyed Ianto greeted him.

“Owen? What the fuck are you doing here at this time?”

“Can I come in and tell you? It’s a bit nippy out here...” He stepped gratefully inside as Ianto rolled his eyes predictably and stepped aside to give him access. The warmth of the living room was welcome and Owen threw his jacket on the back of a chair and slumped into the seat with a sigh. “Any coffee?” he asked hopefully and Ianto couldn’t help but smile at the wistful expression. Owen rarely did ‘wistful’.

“Sure, yes, gimme a minute.” Ianto disappeared into his kitchen. “So how is our illustrious leader?” he called. Owen huffed a small sigh.

“He’s infuriating, exasperating and irritating. He can be a royal pain in the arse, he acts like a first class bastard and a crass idiot and then goes and saves the world.” Ianto chuckled as Owen appeared in the kitchen door, hands thrust deeply into his pockets and a weary smile in place.

“And how on earth can we get angry with a guy like that? I know...” He presented Owen with a mug of caffeine exactly as he liked it and smiled at the doctor. Owen sipped, sighed, and smiled.

“Jack was...upset, that you acted like that. I can’t blame you though. He was a bit of a twat, facing you with all of that.”

“He wasn’t joking that day then? He can have babies?”

“Oh yeah, uterus and everything.” Ianto looked shocked.

“But that isn’t biologically possible.”

“Actually it is. A long time in our future, the human race begins to die out, apparently because we start to turn infertile. So geneticists started to look to other races for the solution. There’s a whole module in 51st Century history lessons which deal with the riots and the rights groups that sprang up in the wake of it all.”

“Is that what happened to Jack?”

“He was born much later when all that was history to him. We were interbred with other races, particularly those who had males who could bear kids as well as the females. The Scientists worked out the best way to combat the infertility was to allow men as well as women to breed. Trouble was the geneticists seem to have gone a bit far. Christ, and we’re worried about genetically modified crops. We changed, became ruled by a kind of class system. Alphas were the cleverest, strongest and most dominant and some were even psyonic. Omegas were the baby producers and the bottom of the pecking order. Betas were your ordinary bods in the street...”

“Like you, you mean?” Ianto snarked.

“Hey, watch it., Tea Boy. If I was born to be anything I would be an Alpha, mate.” Owen took a gulp of coffee, grinned, then clapped him on the shoulder. “Now it seems you’re one for real. Not sure whether to be sorry for you or envious.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Ianto sipped his own coffee and stared off into the middle distance, eyes unfocused. “I mean, he’s being unfair. It’s not my fault I’m a prototype Alpha...Owen, Torchwood is my life, what will I do without it?”

“You’re going to leave then?” Owen was surprised. “I didn’t figure you’d back out like that. You seemed pretty hung up on our good captain.”

“I am. Not sure Torchwood is the place to bring up a baby though, is it? And I’m mortal. Even if its mother can’t die, its father can.”

“Well, I’m not going to advise you either way. I came to check that you were okay because he asked me to. You are, so job done. I’ll get off home. Ta for the coffee.”

“You could crash on the sofa, or in the spare room if you like. It’s late...”

“Nah, not that late. I’ll call a cab. G’night Ianto. See you tomorrow. Jack is locked in his bunker, you’ll be safe...Although.... maybe it might be best if you don’t, on second thought. You’d react to his scent too much and he might pick up on yours. No, stay away. Come back on Thursday, it should be safe by then.” Ianto nodded agreement and saw the doctor to the door.

“Stay out of trouble,” Ianto suggested as Owen walked away.

“You too, Tea Boy.”

\--------------------------------------

Jack lay in a haze of exhaustion on his bunk under the sealed hatch of his bunker, aware that this heat was the worst since Owen had begun synthesizing the suppressant for him five years previously. Owen had since refined it, but he lacked the two major ingredients he needed to make it work perfectly. It was better than nothing but Jack had needed twice as much as the last time for it to come anywhere near success and he feared that next time, he would need too much to make taking it safe. If Ianto didn’t agree to his suggestion, if he didn’t want to be bound to Jack, or want their babies, then frankly, Jack had no clue what to do. He had no desire to go back to suffering a full-blown heat without either the drugs or a willing Alpha to help him ride the fierce waves of want and need and bring him out the other side with his sanity intact. So far, there was only one Alpha and Ianto was it. If he refused, and really Jack could not blame him if he did, then there was no one else. His immortality didn’t protect him either. He couldn’t simply die and reset himself. He had to suffer the heat through and pine for someone and something he couldn’t have. God, it was going to be a miserable few days.


	3. Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ianto has come to a decision.

Jack woke to find that finally the horrendous feelings of need had subsided but left him feeling wrung out and disgusting. He dragged himself out of his bunker and padded down to the washroom, standing under the shower for ages, letting the hot water pound his skin until it tingled. He had managed to stave off the worst of the craving using some...toys. There was no other word for them. They were not the same though. He had only experienced one Alpha in his life and Captain John Hart had been the best. Unstable, maybe a touch psychotic, but he had cared. Their daughter had died unborn though, courtesy of the hard life they lead as a Time Agents and the chaotic effect time travel had on the body. It was shortly after that when Jack had left, running into the Doctor, and then being resurrected by Rose. Now it seemed she had condemned him to be an Omega for all eternity. _Oh, joy._

 _Three days isn’t a lot to think things through,_ Ianto thought morosely. Although he actually found that the prospect of being a dad didn’t scare him as much as he had thought it might. He worried about Jack though, although he didn’t need to worry about him on a physical level. The man never stayed dead but if he got pregnant, then would that apply to the baby as well? Logic told Ianto that it wouldn’t, based upon what he knew of Jack’s ability. Ianto needed to talk to him about priorities. They needed to talk about a lot of things and soon.

Watching the sun set over Cardiff, sipping coffee and letting his mind drift, Ianto let himself wonder what it might be like to leave Torchwood. _If the reason was right, I would,_ he thought, imagining what it might be like to bring up their kids, to hear children’s voices, laughter and cries, echoing around a proper home, not this empty flat. He knew he would end up being the house husband, it was a foregone conclusion and actually made more sense. Jack would never be a stay-at-home dad. _No dashing off again with the Doctor though, not when we have kids,_ Ianto decided.

When he returned to work, Ianto turned up early, hearing the shower in the washroom on full, sniffing the now-faint scent of Jack as he went about his ablutions. _Mm,_ Ianto thought, _a wet Jack. Now there's a nice thing to start the day._ He went about brewing the coffee and making tea for Tosh, lining up the mugs as he usually did. Jack’s blue and white striped one, his own white one with the Torchwood logo (seriously, someone had actually had Torchwood mugs printed), Tosh’s flower print mug, Gwen’s red one, Owen’s black one. As he was pouring, Jack came into view, glanced his way very briefly, then made tracks for his office, not venturing to speak. _Maybe doesn’t trust himself,_ Ianto considered.

By the time Owen’s coffee was made the others were arriving and he went round handing out the drinks, making small talk. Owen cast him a look but didn’t say anything. He took Jack’s coffee in last, closing the door behind him. “Morning, sir,” Ianto said conversationally, placing the mug on the desk. Jack just grunted. “Jack, we need to talk...” Jack looked up at him but his eyes were haunted. _Sleepless nights and hormonal stress will do that to you,_ Ianto supposed. Jack actually reminded him of his sister shortly after David had been born, so tired she looked wrecked, all hormonal and exhausted. Ianto took a seat and waited, sipping carefully. Jack just looked at him. “So, Jack, I’ve had time to think things through a little,” Ianto began, then his voice failed him. _God in Heaven, how can I do this?_

“You don’t want this, do you?” Jack said eventually, defeat in his voice. “Can’t blame you, really. It’s a lot to come to terms with, this Alpha Omega crap. I thought I was out and away, but here you are...a real prototype Alpha, scenting me again...” There was resignation and hurt in Jack’s voice. He dropped his gaze away from Ianto’s. God, but the man looked vulnerable. It was so unlike Jack to be so defeatist. Maybe the failure of his suppressants was weighing heavily on him, Ianto considered. To be left without anything to help him...

“Jack, first off, do not presume to know what I want,” Ianto began assertively. If he was going to get through this then he would have to find some assertiveness from somewhere. “You never have understood me, not really. Second, this needs talking through, rationally, sensibly. We are talking children here, Jack. It’s not simply a matter of how we fit this relationship around Torchwood. We cannot bring new life into the world without making sure it is kept safe, nurtured and cared for. Torchwood and kids are not words that should occupy the same sentence after all. I expect you would want me to be the house parent. I can’t imagine you being the one to bring them up and look after them, take 'em to school and stuff. Education might be a sticking point anyway. I mean, where the hell in cardiff can you put kids in school where the fact they have two dads wouldn’t be an issue? We would need a bigger place anyway, a proper house. How many children would we end up with? Is there any birth control you can go onto?”

“Woah, Ianto... enough. Are you seriously considering this as a viable direction?” Jack sounded incredulous.

“Of course I am, Jack. How the bloody hell can you think I wouldn’t?”

“I...well, I....” For once the great Captain Jack Harkness was lost for words.

“I...have _feelings_...for you," Ianto admitted. "Strong ones. I don’t understand them all but they’re real. I don’t want to leave you, not like this. If having a relationship with you means kids, well...okay then. I don’t want to leave Torchwood, but more importantly I don’t want to leave _you_. So, if this is what it takes to stay, then...count me in.”

Jack just sat there, coffee forgotten, staring at Ianto in disbelief. “You...you want kids, with me? Really?” His voice was awed and soft.

“I always did want a family, Jack. That much was a given. I guess I'd pretty much given up on those dreams though. After all, Torchwood doesn't have a pension plan and there is no way I would chance leaving any kids of mine fatherless. Look, we still need to talk but I’m not planning on going anywhere, I’m not leaving you. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jack breathed, rising from behind the desk and coming round to grab Ianto into a hug. “Thank you, Ianto,” he said softly. “I have no idea what to say...”

“I can’t imagine you lost for words,” Ianto said, inhaling Jack’s clean scent, his Omega scent, and revelling in the fact that Jack was his. For a moment, a possessive feeling rose within him, almost aggressive in its intensity. Jack was his, and only his, and he would fight anyone who threatened that. Jack was looking at him, smiling slightly.

“It’s the Alpha gene,” he explained. “Around me, you feel territorial, possessive, the Alpha wolf. It’s what my scent does to you. You already see me as your mate, yours and nobody else’s. All that’s left is for you to mark me, make me yours, give me a sign so nobody else will touch me.”

“I didn’t think there were any more Alphas though.”

“Well, none we know about,” Jack said. “If you have it, there might be others, but they might not know what they are. Better safe than sorry though. If you mark me, then my scent will change, it’ll make other Alphas back off, they’ll be able to tell that I’m bonded.”

“How do I do it?”

“Use your teeth,” Jack explained. “It’s usually done during the first heat together though. You sink your teeth into my shoulder muscle, near where my neck joins my shoulder. Bite me enough to draw blood and scar.”

“Isn’t that a bit extreme?” Ianto commented.

“Might as well do it right. Believe me, I won’t know. Well, I won’t feel it much. I’ll be in the throws of my heat and there's not much coherence going on there, you know?”

“Okay then. I’ll take your word for it.”

“I’m...very glad you’re not leaving, Ianto...” Ianto smiled at the very un-Jack-like admission.

“I couldn’t leave, Jack. Nobody knows the archives like I do. I’ll need to groom a successor first anyway. Not leaving you in the lurch like that. Besides, what the fuck would any of you do without my coffee?”


	4. Alpha At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally....

The next few months passed by as they usually did; the Rift threw them a few curve balls and they responded as normal. If they succeeded it was more by good luck than good management but then improvisation was a by-word in Torchwood and in Jack’s opinion it made for great team building. By the end of spring they had three new residents in the cells and some more strange artefacts in the archives. They also had a couple of new recruits, and the pressure had eased up on Ianto as a result. 

_Business as usual,_ Ianto thought, placing the last of the new items in the secure vaults. He went back up to the main office area, hearing Myfanwy’s screech as she stretched her wings, Jack’s voice as he spoke to her, Owen’s snark, Tosh’s giggle, Tommy’s rumbling baritone and Adam’s lighter reply. “Where’s Gwen?” he asked, heading for the kitchen. 

“I gave her the afternoon off,” Jack said. “She and Rhys had a Christening to go to. His sister’s kid apparently.” 

“Oh, okay. So, everyone else for drinks then?” 

“Thought you’d never ask, Tea Boy.”

“Coffee King, please,” Ianto retorted. “I thought we’d talked about that.” 

“Okay, okay. You are not starting a cult, Ianto. Besides, nobody would follow you,” Owen protested. 

“Not me perhaps, but they would worship my coffee.”

“Now there, you cannot fault the logic,” Jack interjected. “Ianto, when you’ve a minute...?” 

“Yes, sir. I’ll come up when the coffee is done.” 

**0o0o0o0**   


“Right, sir, there you go...” Ianto put the coffee down and paused. Jack was sitting staring into the middle distance with a pained expression in his blue eyes. 

“Jack? What’s the matter?”

“It’s coming, Ianto.”

“What is?” Ianto handed over the coffee and Jack sat back and stared at him. “What is, sir? Armageddon? The second coming? An invasion fleet?”

“My heat, Ianto. I think it’s coming a little early.”

“Oh? So...”

“So you better be prepared. I’m not going to take my suppressant. I think it’s probably a good idea if I don’t. Did Owen tell you, it works less effectively these days? Trouble is, it might be difficult to ride out, being as how I’ve taken them a while now. We should play this by ear...” 

“Where do we go?” 

“We stay here.” 

“Is that a good idea? I mean, what about the others. Surely if we’re both gone, they’ll know.” 

“This is the safest place, Ianto. Tosh was telling me that her rift predictor says things will be quiet for a couple of days, I was thinking to send people home. Adam and Tommy are coming along well, they’re almost up to speed on weapon training and they need the fieldwork experience. Owen can second for me while this lasts and he can take the Rift alarm with him just in case. But you and me, we can stay here. Owen can check on us, if he’s inclined. Otherwise it’s just the two of us.”

“Then I think I might need to lay in more food and drink. I’ll make a trip to tescos, I’ll stockpile some thermoses of my coffee and then Owen can heat it when he gets desperate. We’ll be ready then.” 

“Get bottled water, so we don’t have to move far. Believe me, this is going to be pretty exhausting and we’ll need plenty to drink. Get non-perishables in, high energy bars are good. Something easy to unwrap and eat.” 

Ianto nodded and stood. “Well, I’ll get on it now. How long before you need me, sir?”

“At this rate, should hit me in about 36 hours.” 

**0o0o0o0**   


Ianto spent the next twenty four hours dashing about laying in supplies, cleaning the Hub and cramming all the jobs he would normally have spread out over the next week into one day. Nobody would have known to look at him but Ianto was moving twice as fast as he normally did. He had the dry cleaning collected from the previous day, all the parking fines cancelled and the relevant cctv images wiped, twelve important emails answered, fifty lesser ones junked, and out-of-office replies set up for himself and Jack by lunchtime. He took the SUV to Tescos and went shopping, thinking to buy extra toilet paper and some new towels, more lubricant and condoms. He also bought a small fridge, intending to install it in the bunker, so at least their water would be cold and he could store a pasty or two.

One of the more unusual things on his itinerary involved borrowing Jack’s wallet and heading off down one of the more disreputable streets in Cardiff, letting himself in via a sleazy-looking back door that was badly in need of a paint job. 

“Ah, what can I do for the young sir?” came a sleazy-sounding voice to match the sleazy-looking shop. 

“Mr Benjiss, how’s business?”

“Do I know you?” The creature, for creature he was, dripped obsequiously across the floor. 

“John Smith, Revenue and Customs.” Ianto flashed the wallet with its psychic paper and smiled. “There seems to be some paperwork missing from your VAT return.”

“I don’t file a VAT return...” The creature, who looked like a stunted and wizened old man, peered at the paper. He seemed to accept the ID and drew back, on the defensive. 

“Exactly, yet we have evidence to show your revenue exceeds the threshold for VAT registration. You owe the government quite a bit of money, Mr...” Ianto pretended to consult his PDA. “Dimkiss Benjiss? Is that your real name? When you were registered with the Alien Resettlement Bureau we didn’t expect this level of gross misconduct. You are currently operating an illegal business...” 

“What can I do?” Benjiss dripped. “I have mouths to feed. Besides, the Captain oversees my operations...”

“Yes, well, less said about that, the better.” Ianto shook his head in exasperation, then he appeared to think hard for a moment. It was obvious that Benjiss recognised the smile Ianto adopted and it scared him. Ianto would probably have scared himself if he could have seen his reflection in a mirror at that moment. It was the smile of a man who wanted something and knew how to extract it. At that moment, leverage was Ianto’s middle name. “Mr Benjiss, a thought has occurred,” Ianto purred. “This doesn’t have to get ugly. I’m sure we can come to some arrangement. I can think of something you can do for me. However, I do not need to tell you that noncompliance will force me to contact Captain Harkness from Torchwood and arrange for your immediate deportation. This sort of thing—” he waved the papers at the alien “—cannot be allowed.” 

The creature visibly shook at the suggestion and paled (if that was possible) on seeing Ianto get his mobile phone out. Ianto was not about to count his chickens before they had hatched just in case something went wrong but Benjiss was a coward, just as Jack had said he was.

“Wait, wait, please. Do not be hasty. I am sure we can come to some arrangement...” 

Ianto regarded the Sloothiss Gnarl with distaste. He resembled some odd crumpled version of Fagin. “Can we?” Ianto asked.

“Oh yes, I am certain. I have all kinds, all sizes, shapes and tastes. You want to try something unusual? We have them all…" 

“I’ll have the longest you’ve got, and while we’re at it....” 

“I will gather,” Benjiss interrupted, with a smile that could only be described as a leer, “that by _longest_ you are referring also to _Human_?” 

**0o0o0o0**   


Ianto felt as though a good hot shower were in order by the time he left that place. Everything he had been given would have to be sterilised several times before use, otherwise Gods only knew what he might catch. Or Jack, for that matter, considering it was for him. At least he was quietly triumphant with his purchase. After all, if he hadn’t gone in dissembling like that he doubted he would have got very far with the alien trader. It was amazing the fear VAT inspectors could strike into a heart, even one not from this world. 

Ianto arrived back feeling quite chipper and rather excited. He carried the bags and boxes in to find the place deserted. He stowed the food in the kitchen and proceeded to make six thermoses of coffee and stack them, with a note, along the back of the counter. Then he took the bottled drinks, energy bars and chocolate, plus the present for Jack, into the office. Jack’s scent was quite strong on the air but he wasn’t in his bunker. Ianto stored everything down there, including towels and a thermos of coffee. 

The bunker actually had an ensuite but it was tiny, no more than a loo and a small shower cubicle, and Jack much prefered the huge Victorian washroom downstairs. Ianto tracked him down there, the white tiles shining in the steam from one of the showers. Jack was singing something which sounded suspiciously like an off-key drinking song with rather bawdy lyrics so Ianto waited patiently for him to emerge. When Jack walked out with a towel slung rather low across his hips, he saw Ianto waiting for him and let out a huge sigh of relief. His face lit up with a smile, a genuine relieved smile, as if he couldn’t quite believe Ianto was there. 

“You came back.” 

“Of course. Said I would. Honestly, Jack, you should learn to trust me more.” 

Jack’s smile was almost shy, none of the usual bravado in his grin. It must be a measure of how worried this was making him feel, Ianto thought, that he was being the most honest Ianto had ever known him to be. Jack closed the gap and kissed him, lips soft and pliant against his own. Jack let his tongue wander, almost asking for permission to explore Ianto’s mouth. Ianto obliged with a smile and opened his mouth to the questing tongue, letting Jack in to taste him. When they finally broke apart both men were breathless, panting. 

“Come on, Jack. Let’s get you upstairs and comfortable. I’ve got food for us. Come on,” and Ianto guided him confidently up to the office level, aware that this state seemed to make Jack respond to orders more easily, as if the Omega part of him were happy to comply with what his Alpha wanted. Upstairs Jack had to agree Ianto had organised everything perfectly, even better than he usually did but then, the young man was a good organiser, logistics were his speciality and he never failed to plan. There were fresh clothes, fresh sheets and fresh towels stored in a box beneath the bed. Drinks, including a thermos of coffee, together with energy bars, chocolate bars and crisps, were sitting on nearby shelves. The bed was made. A box was sitting on the bed, and Ianto deftly removed it from Jack’s reach before he could get nosy.

“Not yet, Jack. Later. Now come on, what do we do now?”

“Let nature take her course, I think…” They sat and waited, Jack fidgeting, Ianto patient. It would have been comical, Ianto thought, except for the fact that Jack was actually nervous. 

“So, how long?” Ianto asked after a few minutes.

“Not sure…It’s started, but when it will hit fully is a bit hit and miss. I also have no idea how you’ll react, because you’re not a full-blown Alpha in the 51st century sense, you’re more of a...well, a prototype…” 

“So, Jack...Why me? Is me being an embryonic Alpha the only reason for this bond thingy that we have? Do we have a bond?” 

“We will. Or rather we should. I suppose you’ll get affected but we need to wait and see. It might not have a strong enough effect on you I suppose. If not...well, I hope I don’t scare ya…” 

“Scare me?” Ianto fixed Jack with a look of incredulity. “How the hell could you scare me? I’ve faced cannibals and weevils, a pteranodon, daleks and cybermen. I spent time convinced I was a serial killer. Hells bells, I was even turned into a woman once. Now that _was_ scary…” he frowned. “So what about all this could possibly scare me? This is you we’re talking about, not some wierdshit alien with teeth and tentacles and an obsession with world domination. You, Jack. Posterboy of the Boeshane Peninsula, and darling of the Time Agency. Unless you’re going to turn into some lust-crazed slavering fiend…”

“Point,” Jack said, with a shrug. “It gets a bit intense, though.” It sounded lame, following Ianto’s litany of the enemies they had both faced.

“We’ll just have to see then, won’t we? Look, if this is going to take a while why don’t we just get some rest? We might need it?” 

Jack nodded and began to take off his clothes. “Good idea. I like getting cosy with you anyway.” 

Ianto grinned and shed his jacket and tie, hanging the jacket on a hanger he had brought for the purpose of making sure he did not look remotely rumpled by the time this was over. The last thing he wanted was for the rest of the team to clock what had been going on, even if Owen knew. He would rather Tosh and particularly Gwen not find out. He took the surreptitious opportunity to inhale the scent of those pheromones as Jack shed his clothes and settled into the narrow bed. Ianto pulled his lover close, spooning behind him. Jack’s sigh was contented and relieved. He relaxed into Ianto’s hold as though everything had suddenly got too much for him. “Sleep, Cariad,” Ianto murmured, stroking Jack’s hair with gentle fingers. “I’m here.” Lulled, Jack dozed and eventually drifted into sleep, Ianto not far behind him. 

Ianto awoke to an elbow in his ribs and somebody planted a kick to his ankle for good measure. “Ow! Jack…” The man beside him was thrashing, caught in a nightmare. “Jack, Jack, it’s alright, Cariad, wake up!” Jack snorted and jerked into wakefulness, eyes wide and surprised, and in the next moment had twisted round to stare at Ianto as if he couldn’t believe the man was there with him. He reached out as if to reassure himself and then drew his fingers back as if unsure what Ianto’s reaction would be. Suddenly he was uncertain, even shy; eyes downcast and wary, his whole demeanour submissive. “Jack? What’s the matter?” 

“It’s coming, Ianto. Can’t you feel it too?” 

“Feel what, Jack?” 

“My..my heat…” Jack’s mouth, desperate and needy, fastened on Ianto’s and he was suddenly being kissed almost senseless. Jack was all over him, hands roaming, lips and tongue and teeth teasing their way over Ianto’s body. Gasping with the suddenness of it, Ianto relaxed back and let Jack have his way. “Oh...Gods...I need….” Jack was panting, desperate.

“I know, love, I know.” Ianto stopped trying to sooth the man. Jack was beyond the stage where he might be placated. Ianto wrestled Jack face down, looming over him almost threateningly. Jack whimpered and lay still, suddenly compliant. Ianto was shocked at the sudden change from dominant to submissive and stroked Jack’s back gently. He felt the man shiver and Ianto watched as Jack’s hips pushed up, swaying provocatively. This was the enticing Omega then, desperate to be mounted and taken by a willing Alpha, the submissive but ultimately tempting seducer. Jack growled, low in his throat, which earned him a sharp swipe of Ianto’s hand across his rump. A sudden surge of dominance thrilled through Ianto then, a desire to put the man in his place. Omega’s took what their Alpha was willing to give, it was not his place to demand. Jack writhed and whined but submitted to his Alpha’s will. He stilled with a small sigh. 

Ianto paused, testing his senses. He could feel... _something_ , that was certain, although not to the same intensity as Jack was obviously feeling it. As Jack’s hormonal surge ramped higher, it was as if Ianto’s senses suddenly sharpened, as if every scent in the room prickled his nose making him want to sneeze. Stale sweat, the chlorine from the water supply, the sharply saccharine scent of flavoured lubricant, scones...scones? Ianto marvelled that something they had eaten the day before was still discernable. Above them all though, and growing in intensity, was a familiar and delicious scent, Jack’s own musk, only now it was amplified tenfold. Ianto breathed in deeply through his nose and basked in it. 

When Ianto opened his eyes again Jack was staring back at him, wariness and wonder vying in the blue depths. He was quite the most beautiful creature Ianto had ever laid eyes on and suddenly an overwhelming feeling of want washed through him. He wanted this gorgeous creature for his own and he would show Jack that only Ianto was good enough for him. He would make Jack his. Possessiveness warred with protectiveness in his mind, for underlying the desire to preen and puff and show Jack how virile and strong he was lay the need to cosset and care for him, to meet his needs and nurture their connection. He had never in all his born days felt like this about another human being. Even Lisa hadn’t engendered such a strong reaction in him and he had been under the impression that she was the one and only and he would never love anyone else like her. 

For a moment, Ianto was mesmerized by the eyes that gazed back but then Jack reached up to touch him and broke the spell. Ianto dived in and covered Jack’s mouth with his own, desperate to possess him. He forced his tongue between Jack’s lips and felt the man’s mouth open to him, their tongues sliding together sensuously. He sucked Jack’s bottom lip into his mouth and the man moaned wantonly in response. Their hands were all over each other, stroking and gripping and squeezing and grasping. Ianto dipped his head to lick a stripe along Jack’s skin, tasting the delicious sweat on his tongue. He dropped lower, suckling each nipple and tugging them with his teeth. Jack’s resulting moan as he arched into his lover’s touch brought goosebumps out along Ianto’s spine and suddenly it was too much. Ianto starkly understood what it was to _crave_ , so desperately he thought he might die if he didn’t have Jack now! 

With a snarl, Ianto grabbed Jack’s arms and spun him around, pushing him face down. Jack went still and compliant beneath him, soft breathy moans reaching Ianto’s ears as he positioned himself between Jack’s thighs. There was no need to prepare the way. Jack’s body was open and slick, and Ianto sank in slowly with something akin to rapture, exalting in the sensations rippling through him. It was unlike anything he’d done before and not even the half dozen previous times they had made love approximated this. Of course Ianto knew that their lovemaking was exceptional—he would admit that it was the best sex he had ever had—but it was by no means as earth shattering and life changing as this. 

Driving into his lover’s body, Ianto alternated sharp snaps of his hips with slow sensuous rolls, driving Jack closer and closer to the edge, bringing himself almost to climax and then holding off, spiralling his passion higher and higher by doing so. Jack thrust back to meet him, impaling himself deeper every time Ianto thrust, all reason slipping away, abandoning himself to the need within him to join with his Alpha completely and utterly. Ianto leaned forward, covering Jack’s body with his own, nuzzling his neck, licking and sucking the skin beneath Jack’s ear, breathing in the heady scent and losing the hormonal battle to stay in control of his actions. His teeth fastened onto Jack’s shoulder muscle and he bit, hard, the need to mark what was his demanding to be sated. Jack’s muffled cry drove him on and his teeth sank deeper, tasting salt and musk and the metallic tang of blood. This Omega was his and no one else’s, he belonged to Ianto and Ianto alone. His to care for and impregnate and bond with. He drove his body hard into Jack’s, wanting to bury himself as deep as he could, to join their bodies and souls, desperately trying to mould two into one. 

_*Ianto…_ The voice in his head was sensual and slid inside his consciousness with erotic ease, filling his mind with Jack’s desire to be owned and loved and cared for and valued. The bond wove in and around him, and his own thoughts and feelings bled back into Jack’s head, strengthening their coming together until it was unbreakable. The touch of Jack’s mind was all it took to tip him and he came hard, feeling Jack arch and hearing his name on those sinful lips as the man under him reached his tipping point too. It seemed to go on for hours, in truth a very few precious minutes. 

They ended up curled together, entwined in each other’s arms in post-coital bliss, sweaty and amazingly relaxed. Sated, for now. Ianto felt himself drifting and gathered his lover, his mate, possessively close. Nobody else would have him now, Ianto thought, triumphant pride sliding through his brain. He drifted on a confident wave, and sleep took them both moments later.


	5. A Problem Shared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few problems come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter because real life is in the way again.

_It was a good job I bought the toy,_ Ianto thought, watching Jack arch and keen and hiss as his bondmate serviced his desperate body with it, watched it sink deep, hitting the sensitive places where Ianto couldn’t. Despite Ianto being a prototype Alpha he had found the one fundamental flaw in their plan. Physically, he wasn’t built nearly big enough for Jack, who was a full-blown Omega, with all an Omega’s needs.

He was also finding that keeping pace with a needy Omega was testing his stamina. He was exhausted. Three whole days, seventy two hours, and Jack was only now beginning to come down from the hormonal hell that was his three-monthly heat. “I only hope this was a bad one, Jack,” Ianto said as soon as his lover was more aware of his surroundings and coming down from the endorphin high of what was—hopefully—the final orgasm for this particular heat. “If all your heats are like this…”

“Tough one, huh? You having problems, love?”

“I’m just so….”

“You look exhausted,"Jack observed, concerned for his lover. "Take the next few days off, we can manage. I’ll tell em you went off with flu. Somebody sneezed over you at the conference.”

“Okay, I won’t countermand your order, sir.”

“Good. You _must_ be tired. Look, Ianto, if this is too much…”

“Jack, we’ll have to see, won’t we? I mean, this time you did say you thought it would be difficult. Maybe next time won’t be so taxing. Chin up, love. Did this work for you?”

“Damn it, of course it did. It’s been...amazing, Ianto. Thank you. You have no idea…”

Ianto smiled and kissed him tenderly. “Let’s get some rest then. It’s midnight. If you’re sure this one has finished, then I can sneak out and go home at six.”

“Can I come too, then I can arrive back midmorning and they’ll think we’ve really been away?”

Ianto nodded agreement. “We might get time for coffee and a cuddle if you’re good.”

Jack returned to work to a warm welcome from Gwen and Tosh. Owen wanted the details and Jack filled him him but voiced his doubts about his new partner’s stamina. “Probably nothing, Jack," Owen tried to reassure him. "This one was a bad one, if what you say is true about coming off your suppressants. I’ll call on him later, see how he’s doing.”

It didn’t stop Jack spending the next twenty four hours wondering if things were going to prove too much for Ianto. The man was young but on the whole, it wasn’t going to be any easier the older he got. There was the added problem of his aging and Jack’s not, of Torchwood not requiring a pension plan because of the danger levels and losing him one day anyway. Jack resolved to let the doctor take him back to his own time once Ianto died. It would be the only way he could conceivably cope. The alternative was cryogenics, to sleep in a deep freeze, unless he could go sufficiently far into the future to find good hormonal suppressants. Maybe he could get Martha to contact the Doctor to visit and bring some with him, or take him to get some. There was neutering too, which was said to help, but he wasn’t sure he was quite ready for anything as drastic just yet. He had survived the 20th century without an Alpha and it hadn’t broken him. So Captain Jack Harkness put the fears to the back of his mind and did what he always did; he got on with running Torchwood Three, hoping his new partner was sufficiently rested by the time he returned to work.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Do please review. Let me know what you think.


End file.
